Belarus and Russia agreed to step up regional cooperation, Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he met with Governor of Russia's Pskov Oblast Mikhail Vedernikov on 28 September, BelTA has learned.

Aleksandr Lukashenko remarked that he regularly meets with heads of Russian regions, and he had a few meetings with them in the past days. Governors and delegations of various regions of Russia came to Belarus to participate in the forum of regions.

“The president of Russia and I agreed to step up regional cooperation. It is very important because (I am often saying this to virtually every governor) some time ago they saved the union of Belarus and Russia. Since Boris Yeltsin, when no one needed that union. And only governors, committed to relations with Belarus saved this union. To express my gratitude, I always find time to meet with your colleagues and discuss the entire spectrum of issues in our relations,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.